International day of peace: history and challenges

Who in the world would not like to live in harmony? Yet, the world we live in does not usually allow us to reach that goal. Thus, to build global harmony, peace advocates share messages of peace to communities and nations in the world.

Apart from that, International organizations set up an international day to promote universal peace in the planet. This article is designed to inform you about the international day of peace, its history and the challenges.

Historical background about the Peace Day

In 1981, the United Nations made a resolution to observe a day to carry out actions for peace. The date that they had chosen coincided with the opening of the General Assembly in the UN headquarters.

Then, in 1982, the first celebration of the Day of Peace started. At that time, the day was celebrated within the organization.

Later, in 2002, the UN General Assembly declared that the Day of Peace will be observed every year. They chose September 21 for that occasion.

On Peace Day, several activities take place to enhance peace in different fields as in education, environment, and many others.

What are the objectives?

The International Day of Peace was established for many reasons:

To bring their share in building the culture of peace in the community, at school, at work, and everywhere.

To make everyone in the globe commit themselves to the promotion of peace on the same day by undertaking different kinds of activities,

To encourage people to be tolerant with one another and live in serenity in spite of their differences,

Challenges to the peace promotion efforts

Not many people are willing to volunteer

Actions for peace are mainly propelled by such volunteer organizations as churches, NGOs and foundations. The work is challenging and may require moving into a place where humanitarian aid needs to be distributed. Most work is not remunerated, though. The main challenge is the lack of volunteer workers who are willing to do charitable work for peace.

There is not enough resources

Millions of people in the world live in desperate conditions because of lack of resources. To empower people with a sense of peace, it is crucial that they live in an environment where their basic needs are met. This includes food, water, health care and education. As a result, it is important to encourage peace advocates and activists to give donations to provide humanitarian aid to the deprived people.

There is a lack of infrastructure

Among the basic needs of children, we can cite food and education. As far as education is concerned, the major challenge is due to lack of school infrastructure. However, it is a good alternative to nurture the notion of peace through early education.

Few people volunteer to prisoners' rehabilitation

Apart from its purpose as for punishment, prisons are also designed for the rehabilitation and re-education of those who went astray. However, very few people, especially the youngsters feel scared when it comes to doing charity work in jail. That is possibly why it is a good initiative to produce electronic tablets for inmates like what Prem Rawat does through his foundation.

Celebrate the Day of Peace by undertaking some initiatives

Lack of sponsoring and infrastructure is among the main challenges to peacekeeping efforts. Besides, there is a shortage of good-willed people to engage in outreach humanitarian actions. The Prem Rawat Foundation (TPRF) takes many initiatives to act for global harmony.